DaBaby apologizes for anti-gay, 'misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS' amid industry fallout
DaBaby issued a lengthier apology for those hateful, anti-gay comments he made over a week ago. The rapper's new statement comes amid a wave of industry backlash as he's been condemned by fellow artists and dropped from multiple music festivals.
In an Instagram message posted on Monday, the "Masterpiece" singer apologized for "misinformed comments" he made about HIV/AIDS at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. But he began by taking a swipe at cancel culture.
"Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me — knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance — has been challenging," he wrote. "I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That's what I needed and it was received."
DaBaby continued, "I want to apologized to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made ... I know education on this is important. Love to all."
The 29-year-old spewed misinformation and hateful rhetoric during a rant July 25.
"If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that'll make you die in two, three weeks, then put your cellphone light up," he told the crowd. "Ladies, if your p***y smell like water, put a cellphone light them up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d*** in the parking lot, put your cellphone light up. Keep it real."
After his comments went viral, DaBaby doubled down on social media.
"My gay fans, they take care of themselves. They ain't no nasty gay n*****s See what I'm saying? They ain't no junkies in the street," he said during an Instagram Live. "The hell you talking about, n*****s? Then I said if you ain't sucking d*** in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up. You know what my gay fans did? Put that motherf*****g light up, n***a, 'cause my gay fans ain't going for that. They got class. They ain't sucking no d*** in no parking lot."
Dua Lipa, who collaborated with DaBaby on the remix of her hit song "Levitating," was one of the first stars to speak out against the rapper as she was "horrified" over the remarks. Madonna, Demi Lovato and Elton John followed.
DaBaby walked back some of his statements in a short apology on Twitter on July 27.
I tell fans to put a cellphone light in the air y’all start a million man March.???
I told you y’all digested that wrong ?????♂?but I ain’t gone lie I’m impressed.
Now show this same amount of support when a racist cop kill one of our black ass…YA NOT ??— DaBaby (@DaBabyDaBaby) July 27, 2021
Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies ????
But the LGBT community... I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.— DaBaby (@DaBabyDaBaby) July 27, 2021
DaBaby's performance was canceled at Lollapalooza this past weekend in the wake of the controversy. It was announced earlier on Monday he would be axed from the upcoming Governors Ball and Day N Vegas events.